Blackwell Penitentiary
by tremwaterz
Summary: Being in a high security prison until you live out your sentence is nowhere near fun. However, when you have a few friends to talk to, it isn't so bad. Well, it still sucks, but it isn't doesn't suck as bad. If they're on their best behavior, they can get out early. Then again, they're a bunch of delinquents. How could their behavior be anything but terrible?
1. Chapter 1

I awoke to the familiar dim room I spent my days in. Only a single, dusty light bulb shone upon my living quarters. Concrete walls and a metal door with a little, barred window. Cozy. A metal ring was bolted to the wall as a makeshift basketball hoop. A tennis ball sat on a wobbly table I used to put things on. Books and papers were scattered across. Before I got here, I didn't really like reading. Now, that was one of the few things I could spend my time doing.

Something was a bit off today. I could feel it in the air. I knew I was right when I heard the door to the cell across the hall slam shut. Curious, I crept towards my door. I pressed my back against the wall and listened to what was happening.

"And stay in there!"a guard shouted.

I heard distant mumbling.

"What was that?"he demanded.

"Nothing. I said _nothing._ "

When the guard was out of sight, I debated calling across the hall. We wouldn't get in trouble, of course. The guards only cared if we were breaking out or killing other people. Sometimes, I only think they care about the first thing.

"What're you in for?"I called.

"Why do you care?"

"This is the maximum security section. They don't let us out to see the sun. You'll get bored eventually. When you do, I'll be here."

"Whatever."

I rolled my eyes. The new people were usually upset about getting caught. For a while, I was. Then, I decided to get adjusted to my new life. This is how things would be for a _very_ long time. If I'm lucky, I'll get out before I'm a hundred. That's an exaggeration, of course. My sentence is only fifteen years. At least, it was. I stopped counting the days that slipped through my fingers since I've got here. They don't want us to get too pale, so they let us outside once a month. We get to spend three hours in the sun. Then, we get ushered back to our cells.

I picked up the tennis ball and tossed it into the metal hoop on the wall. I guess I got better at basketball over the months I'd been here. That was something. I ended up taking a nap. When I woke up again, it was the all too familiar sound of a plastic tray being dropped onto the concrete floor.

"Rise and shine, Price,"a guard called,"Breakfast is served."

I smiled, recognizing who it was. There was one guard that had been friends with my step-dad. He was an alright dude. Every morning, he would bring me a newspaper to read. There wasn't a rule against it, but the other guards weren't anywhere near as nice. When they handcuffed people, they always put it on a little too tight. Then, they'd jerk on the chain between your wrists until it leaves you bruised.

"Ugh,"the girl across the hall groaned,"I don't think I can eat this slop."

"It's a lot like public school food."

I heard her laugh, but I could tell she wasn't happy.

"What are you in here for?"

"I'll tell you if you tell me first,"I said, taking a bite out of a "biscuit" that had no taste.

"Okay, so I was supposed to spend six years in here for involuntary manslaughter possession of cocaine. Then, I got in a mess with some of the other prisoners and I was sent here after only a few days."

"Who'd you kill?"

"There was a girl at school. I spread a video around school and bullied her. Long story short, the girl jumped off a roof."

"Damn. I'm in here for dealing drugs and I also shot a dude."

"Why?"

"Nobody fucks with me. At least, that's what I used to think. After spending so long in here, you kinda let go of all your anger and just start hating yoruself. I mean, there's no one else to blame."

"I'm Victoria, by the way."

"Chloe."

"I feel like we're going to be stuck together for a long time."

"Hey, how old are you?"

"Nineteen. You?"

"Twenty."

"And you've been in here for how long?"

"Dunno. I got in here at seventeen or eighteen, so I've been in here for a couple years, I guess."

"Damn."

"Yeah. I think we'll get along alright, Victoria."

"I hope so. I think talking to someone is a lot better than sitting in a quiet cell all day."

"You gotta get yourself some excercise."

"How?"

"I dunno. Maybe do some push ups, crunches, hell I don't know."

"Is that what you do?"

"Sometimes, yes. I gotta look good to impress all the girls."

"What do you look like?"she asked, suddenly.

"I wish I could show you, but these damn doors aren't good for seeing people."

"Describe yourself. I'll try to imagine you."

"Alright. Um. I used to have blue hair, but it's mostly faded. It's a little longer than I like it. Now, I usually pull it back to get it out of the way."

"Okay. Go on."

"I got a tatoo on one of my arms. Lots of flowers and a skull. Crazy stuff."

"Okay."

"I guess I'm kinda tall. I'm like five nine."

"Is that it?"

"I don't know what else to say. Okay, your turn."

"Alright. So, I have blonde hair and it's really short. Right now, it's kind of a mess, but usually it isn't. I think I look kinda tired. Maybe it's the drugs?"

"Probably."

"My nails are black and I'm wearing this stupid uniform they put us in."

I laughed. "Alright. I can kinda figure out what I think you look like from that. We're not so good at describing things, I guess."

"No. We aren't."

"Before I came here, I was a photography student."

"Really?"

"Yeah. A few people told me I could make a lot of money in the business. Then, I ended up here. I'm such an idiot."

"You can't be as stupid as me. You didn't mean to kill someone. I did. In fact, I didn't think twice about it. It was just bam! And he was dead. Now, I wish I hadn't. I guess it isn't so bad here. Nobody can bother me. I got a cool girl across the hall from me. They said they might lower my sentence if I'm on my best behaviour."

"I guess we always have each other."

"That's the best company we're going to get for a long time."

"Yeah."

"You don't sound so good."

"Just a little shaken up."

"They tossed you pretty hard. You must be pretty thin if they could toss you just like that. I heard you hit pretty hard."

"The ground isn't the most comfortable place to land."

"Makes sense."

I heard her laugh. It was different from the usual shouting from the guy down the hall. Of course, it was a good different. Anything was better than screaming, except maybe more screaming. As I thought this, the guy down the hall started up his screaming.

"Must be that time of the morning,"I called over the noise.

"Does he do this everyday?"

"Every morning and every night."

"Why?"

"I dunno."

"Wonderful."

I set my tray back on the floor and moved to the door. I gripped one of the metal bars in my hand. Through the tiny window, I couldn't see much. I noticed a guard running down the hall towards the screaming guy.

"CAN SOMEBODY FUCKING SHUT THAT GUY UP?"the person in the cell next door shouted.

"We're working on. Please remain calm,"another guard said.

After a few minutes, the screaming stopped. From what I understood, he had to be sedated and then injected with his meds. That way, he doesn't disturb the other inmates. I wasn't sure what his problem was, but it was good to have peace again.

"I think I'm going to do some thinking,"Victoria said,"I guess I'll talk to you later."

"Yeah."

I walked over to the mattress I used as a bed. It wasn't exactly comfortable, but it was better than being on the floor. I heard two knock on the wall. I smiled a little and knocked three times back. There was a tiny crack in the wall that was just wide enough to slip paper through. We were supplied with paper and dull pencils if we were well behaved. Of course, we had to ask for it. If we met their standards, they'd give us a pencil and paper towrite or draw anything we wanted. When one of us knocked twice, the other could respond with two or three knocks. Two meant we didn't want to talk and three meant we were ready. A piece of paper torn from a notebook slipped through the crack. I recognized the code names we had. It was just in case anyone found the papers were wrote.

 _Star: New person across the hall?_

 _Blue: Yeah. She seems nice._

 _Star: Sweet._

 _Blue: I guess._

 _Star: How much left on your sentence?_

 _Blue: Like 12 years. You?_

 _Star: 10 or 11 I think_

 _Blue: We'll be getting out at around the same time, I guess._

 _Star: Yeah. Unless we're really good. I'm not in a rush, though._

 _Blue: Why? I figured you'd be all over getting out of here and hitting the clubs as soon as you get on parole._

 _Star: It's not too bad in here, actually. Free food, no work, no people to bother me, and no responsibilities. Besides, I have you. What more do I need?_

 _Blue: Don't you get bored?_

 _Star: Nah. You're fun to talk to._

 _Blue: Right back atcha_

 _Star: You're such a dork._

 _Blue: You would know. You've been talking to me for as long as we've been in here._

 _Star: And we still haven't met?_

 _Blue: We don't get the same outside time. Mine's at the beginning of the month and yours is at the end._

 _Star: That sucks ASS_

 _Blue: I thought prison wasn't so bad?_

 _Star: Okay fine. I can't stand being locked up in here._

 _Blue: Exactly. All I really have is my own thoughts sometimes._

 _Star: I feel you there. Sometimes, you wake me up in the middle of the night to talk about what's on your mind._

 _Blue: I think a lot, okay?_

 _Star: I won't judge._

 _Blue: Whatever. I'm going to read this book again._

 _Star: Have fun._

I tossed the pencil back onto the desk and picked up a book I had read far too many times. In a couple days, I'd get to trade my books. That was always exciting. Sometimes, you could read what some of the other inmates had written. Since they can't really ask people what they think, you can write it down on a seperate sheet and have it sent back when the cart came back around. This book, though, was one of things I managed to get someone to let me keep with me. The other was a handful of pictures. When you don't cause any trouble for two or three years, the guards tend to let you get away with things. I sat on my mattress and leaned against the wall. I opened to the familiar first page and began reading.

 **I spent like ten minutes trying to figure out Victoria's nail color and at least half an hour looking up jail time for manslaughter and possession of drugs as well as dealing drugs. Some of it may not even be right. The things I do for fanfiction. I** _ **was**_ **writing another chapter on "Being Nice," but I got distracted. I was watching some video game when I thought of this. Then, bam. I had to write it. I think "Being Nice" will be a mostly light hearted, fluffy story while this one is like prison, drugs, murder. Great stuff.**


	2. Chapter 2

Ah, Wednesday. The day we get badly made pizza. I guess bad pizza is better than no pizza. Then again, I'd give anything for a slice of hot, pepperoni pizza. Only a few years and I can go to a _real_ restaurant. A guard walked down the hall, stopping in front of my cell. He unlocked the door.

"Come out with your hands behind your back."

"Yes, sir."

I did as he was told. Then, I felt headcuffs snap shut around my wrists. He pulled me along by the chain.

"You got a visitor here."

"Who is it?"

"You'll see."

I was led down the hallway and into a small room. There was a table with my mom sitting at it. I was sat down at the table. A guard stood by the door to make sure nothing happened. My mom smiled at me.

"Hey, Chloe. How's it been?"

"Shitty. I've been stuck in jail."

"Well, David said he hopes you're doing okay. Max says she misses you."

"I wish she could come visit me."

"She has college. She's busy with her own life, now. You know Max really does care about you, but she's growing up."

"I'm not stupid. I know that Max has moved on. I'm happy for her."

"You are? Last time I checked, you didn't care about anyone else but yourself. Now you're over here telling me you're alright with Max moving on and going off the college?"

"Since I got here, I've had an awful long time to think about things. I've had a few people to talk to. I think I've changed a lot. I'm a different person now. I'm not as upset. I don't blame everyone else. It's okay for things to be my fault. I have to come to terms with that. I almost got you and David broken up. He made you happy, and I couldn't see that. I messed up my own life,"I said,"You coming here just reminds me of all the shit I fucked up."

"Chloe? What are you trying to say?"

"I don't think you should visit me anymore."

"What?! Why?"

"Look, mom. I was a nightmare when I lived with you. I don't understand why you'd want to put yourself back in that position. I know you think this is all your fault, but it isn't. This is all my fault. I fucked up my own life. You tried to help me, but I just wouldn't listen. I was a stupid teenager."

"I won't stop visiting you."

"I'll tell the guards not to let me visit you. They won't mind. That's less work for them to do. Just, please. Live your own life. Stop getting caught up in mine. I'm not your problem anymore." I gave her a smile. "Just be happy. Okay? For me?"

By now, she looked about ready to cry, but she nodded.

"Okay. I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you, too. Love you."

She reached across the table and hugged me. I wish I could have hugged her back, but I was still handcuffed. If things had been different, I would have swung my arms around her and hugged her just as tightly as I did when I was younger. Instead, I rested my chin on her shoulder.

The guard led me out of my chair and back down the hallway. He uncuffed me when he arrived at my room and pushed me inside. For once, he wasn't so rough. When he pushed me, he didn't seem angry. It was almost like he felt bad for me. For once, I didn't care that someone felt bad for me.

"What was that about?"

Victoria. I almost forgot there was someone that talked to me. It's tought to get used to talking again after so long in solitude.

"My mom wanted to talk to me."

"She was here?"

"Yeah."

"How did it go?"

"I think it went okay. I told her to move on and stop visiting me."

"Oh."

I walked acoss my room and laid down on the matress. I looked up at the ceiling. I didn't really feel much like talking to Victoria. I felt a little bad, but I'd only been talking to her for a week or two. I didn't really feel like talking today. I decided to take a little nap for a while. Just to regain a little bit of my energy.

When I finally woke up, it was to two knocks on the wall. I knocked back, letting "Star" know I could talk. A few moments later, I saw a slip of paper appear through the crack in the wall.

Star: What was your childhood like?

Blue: What do you mean?

Star: Some say people that end up in jail had really messed up childhoods. How was yours?

Blue: I think it was pretty normal until my dad died. Then, lonliness and drugs became the new normal. Then, lots of shit went down a few years ago.

Star: I thought mine was pretty normal. I used to pretend I was from outer space. I'd tell everyone I was from a planet even farther away than Portland. Their eyes would widen because we were just kids, we didn't know how far away things were. I'd say things like "My home planet was way better than this place. We don't have nap time there."

Blue: And where is this mystical place?

Star: Okay so once you leave the Milky Way, you hang a right and go straight until you get to the Trest Galaxy. On the end of one of the spirals, there's a little planet called Illuna. That's where I'm from.

Blue: Wow, space girl. How far away is it?

Star: A few hundred light years, at least.

Blue: You don't say?

Star: It's just a guess. I used to tell people the mother ship was on the way to get me. If they were mean to me, the mother ship would take away all their crayons and they could never color again.

Blue: Oh my. How terrifying of a threat!

Star: Watch your back, Blue. The mother ship is gonna take away all your cookies AND your milk.

Blue: Oh no! Not the milk!

Star: What did you used to do when you were a kid?

Blue: Me and my best friend, Max, were pirates. We'd sail across the seas and steal everyone's cookies at snack time.

Star: I guess we're both cookie stealers. I didn't get in here for stealing, though.

Blue: Me neither. Dealing out drugs and killing a guy.

Star: Possession of "illegal substances," assault, destruction of public property, and resisting arrest.

Blue: Jesus fucking Christ. What did you destroy and why did you assault someone?

Star: Okay, first off. He started it, okay? How was I supposed to know he was a cop? He was like "Hey, pretty lady. Where you headed?" I think I said something along the lines of "Go to hell." Then, I punched him in the face. He pulled out a gun and I bolted. Along the way, I knocked over a bunch of stuff. I guess he called backup and they cut me off at the end of an alley. I would have gotten away if they wouldn't have shot me in the leg when I was climbing up the fire escape.

Blue: Oh my god. That's a great story. That guy deserved way more than a punch in the face, though. You should've ripped his eyes straight out of his head.

Star: EW!

Blue: Don't be a wuss. It'd be cool.

Star: Whatever.

I stopped replying, and I guess so did she. I went over to the door and looked through the tiny window. I saw a hand grasped around the bars on the other side and brown eyes staring back at me. If anything, Victoria looked tired. I guess not everyone can sleep well on a mattress on the floor.

"Yo, Tori."

"You've already made up a nickname for me?"

"Your name's too long."

She scoffed, but said nothing.

"What was your life like before all this?"I asked, letting go of the bars and leaning my back against the wall.

"I was a spoiled brat. I still am. Just a rich girl living in a town of poor people. I was practically famous at my highschool. I finally bagged a job as a photgrapher and I get caught with drugs."

"Seems like everyone around here was, as my step dad would say, 'toking up' while no one was looking."

"It's an easy way to get away from your problems."

"Maybe _we_ were the problems."

I let myself slide down the wall until I'm sitting with my knees to my chest. It's a sad thought, really, but a true one. We made too many problems. We were unruly. We weren't fit to be with others, so they stuck us in here. Nobody wants to be kept away from the people they love, but maybe it's what's best for those people. God knows we aren't good for them. Before I was in here, I just made everyone's lives miserable. Max, Joyce, David, everyone. They're better off without me making them angry. Every conversation I ever had with David ended up with one of us shouting and both of us getting hurt.

"I think you're right,"Victoria said finally.

I briefly wondered what problems she made for people. Max once told me something about thinking before I say things. Asking Victoria what she did to make people hate her would probably make her hate me. That is, if she doesn't already. Then again, you can't really hate someone that much when they're the only person you can talk to for the next few years. That is, until the first of next month. Speaking of which, that was in a few days. Ah. A single day out of the month to see the sun. Wonderful.

"There was this... girl at school. I saw her at a party and she was making out with a bunch of guys. I wanted to stop her because I could tell she wasn't sober. I don't know what she was on, but she was on _something._ When you go to enough parties, you develop a kind of sixth sense for that sort of thing. I did the only thing I could think of doing and took a video of her. Then, I posted it on the internet."

Her words were choked out, like she was trying not to cry. If she was right next to me, I think I would have put an arm around her and let her cry on my shoulder. Sure, what she did was pretty shitty, but so far, it just seemed like a harmless prank.

"Honestly, I think I was just jealous. I've thought about it and it was jealousy. _I_ wanted to be the one she was making out with. It's stupid, I know."

"It's definitely unexpected. Is that the end of the story or is there more?"

"Well, not exactly. The next day at school, everyone had watched it and we were all making fun of her. I started calling her awful names. I feel terrible about it now, but I think we all just wanted to fit in."

I think I vaguely remember a song telling people _not_ to do that.

"So, it goes on for a while. The most common name was 'viral slut.' I was the one who started calling her that, really. It goes on until one day, she's standing on the roof of our dorm building. Max is up there trying to talk her down. Then, suddenly, she just steps off. Max has her hand reaching out after her. I feel really shitty, but I have a video of it. Well, I did until my phone was confiscated by the police."

It takes a fucked up person to bully someone to suicide. It takes a _really_ fucked up person to video tape it. If I had put my arm around Victoria, I would have removed it by this point. I'd be staring down at her with cold eyes and she'd look up at me with tears streaming down her cheeks. I'd get up, mumble something and head off to clear my head. I don't have that luxury. Instead, I have to deal with the problem head on.

"That's really shitty, Victoria. Last time I checked, Max still beats herself up over not trying to save her and here you are video taping it? _Why?_ What did that girl ever do to you?"I asked.

"I-"

"What _horrible_ thing could she have done to you that would make you drive that poor girl to suicide?"

"W-"

"Surely, it must be a _terrible_ crime for such a punishment, right? You've got to have a reason, right, Victoria?"

"..."

"I mean you wouldn't just do that for no reason, right?"

"You don't think I have these conversations with myself everyday? I do, you know. I feel real shitty about doing all that. Fuck."

She let out a sigh. I think she would have hit me with how tightly she gripped the bars of her window. A part of me knew how she felt. She probably was imagining the bars as her own throat. She just wanted to stop talking, but now she was spilling out all these deep feelings to someone else. Sure, I knew how that felt, but not the feeling of driving some girl to kill herself. Victoria was on her own in that category.

"I just don't know what to do. It's not like I can say sorry, now. One of the few people at my highschool that I thought was pretty cool hates me, another is dead because of me, and a few more want nothing to do with me."

"That sucks."

I sounded a little colder than I had wanted, and she seemed close to tears. I felt a little bad, of course. It wasn't like I wanted her to cry. She obviously knew what she did was wrong. I mean, who wouldn't? I think I might have put my arm around her if she was there. Against my better judgement, I would let her cry into my shirt as she began rambling on about anything else she wanted. I'd never seen her, but her voice was pretty enough. I kind of wanted to keep her talking just so I could hear her.

"Victoria?"

"Hm?"

"Are you okay?"

"I'm not sure. I don't think so."

She had released her grip on the bars and was moving away from the door. I felt a little bad for yelling at her.

"I'm sorry,"I said.

"It's okay. I deserved it. Nobody really yells at me. I mean, I'm Victoria Chase. Everyone is scared to talk to me like a normal person. Well, not you, but everyone else."

"We've both hit rock bottom. It's not my place to judge people. You seem nice enough. I didn't even know you were rich until now. Still, I don't really care. We're on the same level, here."

"I know. Maybe it's just karma."

I nodded. "Karma's a bitch sometimes."

"The people who do bad things will have those bad things come around in the end. Maybe this is the universe punishing me for all the shit I've done."

"Who else did you piss off?"

"Just about everyone at my school. You know those white bitches you see on TV that bully everyone else?"

"Oh shiiiiiiit. That's you, isn't it?"

"Pretty much. I was awful to everyone. I once threw Caulfield's phone in a swimming pool."

"Max told me about that. I thought it was pretty funny, but she was upset."

"Putting people down made me feel stronger than I actually was."

"Some people are like that."

"I didn't want to. It was just an instinct to be mean to people. I don't know."

"I was always an asshole to people so I could avoid getting close and actually developing feelings. I might be reverting to my old ways."

"You know what they say, old habits die hard."

"Yeah. I guess so."

I heard Victoria sigh from across the hall. "When do we get to go outside?"

"In a few days. I guess we'll get to see each other."

"I can't wait."

I talked to her for the next few days. Then, the day came when we would be let outside. We were handcuffed to a metal chain that a guard held. He led us into a closed off area with grass. A fifteen foot barbwire fence surrounded the yard. The sun felt warm against my skin. When we got outside, we were uncuffed and allowed to walk around. I stretched out onto the grass and let the sun hit my face. I decided to study the other prisoners.

"Chloe?"

I looked to the side. A girl with short, blonde hair was standing there. I knew this had to be Victoria. Who else have I been talking to besides Star. She doesn't even know my real name. She also wouldn't know what I looked like. Victoria was beautiful in a weird sense. She seemed to be one of those girls who could make anything look good. Her hair was messed up and she wore the prison uniform, but she was beautiful.

"How'd you know it was me?"

"There isn't anyone else with blue hair."

"You got me there."

"Mind if I sit here?"

"Sure."

She sat down next to me. We stared at each other for a long moment. I tried my best to burn the image of her into my head. I wanted to think she was doing the same. Then again, I'm not much to look at. Before I got locked up, I was a mess. I can only imagine what I must look like now.

"Hey, Tori?"

"Yeah?"

"Could you come here?"

"I'm right here."

"Closer."

She moved closer to me. I grabbed her by the shoulder and brought her into a hug. She tried to squirm out of my grip until I started laughing.

"I haven't showered in, like, a week. You don't want to hug me."

"I do, though."

"You're messed up, then."

Even though she protested, Victoria put an arm around me. With one hand, she messed with my hair. She rolled off of me and into the grass. She was laying on her side facing me. I copied her and propped myself up on my elbow.

"Whatever happens, we've got each other,"she said,"I may not have known you for a long time, but we've both shared so much about ourselves."

"Okay. Is there a point to this?"

"I was wondering if you want to, maybe, be my girlfriend?"

"That's a little quick, don't you think? Don't get me wrong, you're great. You're nice and pretty and smart, but I don't know if I'm ready for a relationship yet."

"It was just a thought."

"I'll think about it. I just need some time, okay?"

Victoria didn't look at me. Instead, she looked up at the sky and watched the clouds. I took her hand in mine and kissed one of her knuckles.

"Tori? It's not anything you did. I just need a little time is all. Can you wait for me?"

"We have a long time until we're out of here. Take all the time you need."

"Thanks."

"You always take what you have for granted until you don't have it anymore. I never used to look up at the sky and watch the clouds. I was always like 'it'll be there tomorrow. It's always there.' Now, I'm stuck in here with only one day out of the month to go outside."

"Tell me something I don't know."

"You're cute."

I stuck my tongue out. "Fuck you."

"No thanks."

"I wasn't offering."

"Sure you weren't."

I managed to get her to play basketball against me. With all my practice, I easily beat her. I decided to make things interesting and only use one arm. I still beat her.

"You're not very good at sports."

"Shut up!"

"Yes, your majesty."

"Ugh."

I spent the rest of my time outside teasing Victoria. It was so easy to get under her skin. If you said the right things or did the right things, she'd lose it. I may have told my mom to fuck off, but it ended up being a good day. I found out the girl across the hall is hella gay and in love with me (not to mention hot as hell). Who knows? Maybe I'll have a girlfriend by the time I get out of jail.

 **A lot of these chapters skip around. Honestly, it's kind of hard to write things that are interesting when nothing really happens in jail. Most of this story is going to be dialogue. That makes it really hard to write so not too quick of updates on this, I guess. Let me know if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions and I'll try to get back as soon as I can.**


	3. Chapter 3

**This chapter is from Victoria's point of view.**

I couldn't sleep. Before I was arrested, I would get drunk or high just so I could free myself from all the thoughts that swirled around in my head. Now, I'm stuck with my own problems. I stared at the clock on the wall. The second hand was broken, stuck in place at the five. I asked a guard if he could fix it. He just told me he'd get around to it one day. I gave up on that. According to the clock, it was a little past one. It had to be night. They always dim the lights in the hallways and turn off the lights in the cells at nights.

I was laying on my mattress with my eyes glued to the ceiling. My eyes were heavy and hard to keep open. When my eyes finally drifted closed, I saw Kate Marsh. She was falling off the roof again. This time, however, it was in slow motion. I could see everyone's reactions. Max reached out, as if she thought that would catch her. Even though she couldn't save Kate, no one blamed her. If they blamed anyone at all, it was me. After all, I was the one to take the video and post it everywhere.

 _God, why did I do that?_

My eyes shot back open right as Kate hit the ground. I wish I could just go back and change things. Maybe I could save her? Not just from jumping off the roof, but from having a reason to in the first place. I remember a few things about her before I fucked up her life. Most of my time at Blackwell was spent in a flash of drugs, alcohol, and sex. That's teenage life though, right? At least, it was for me. But the times I wasn't under the influence of anything, I would sit in my room with a book. It would be early in the morning, sometimes, when I heard Kate start playing violin. At first, I was surprised. I wondered who could play so good. Then, I met my neighbor. She was nice to everyone and had a smile that showed the grace of God. I instantly fell in love with her. I don't know why she didn't have a million- no a billion- people all over her.

Time passed by in a flash. Nothing interesting happened for a while. Just the normal teenage bullshit and Nathan hooking me up with all the drugs I wanted and then some. I vaguely remember some Rachel Amber bitch. I think I once threw a brick at her when I was drunk. It didn't kill her, thankfully. Then I'd be in even more trouble. It was a normal Vortex club party. Kate must have got wasted or drugged or something because she was making out with a bunch of people. Shit happened. Next thing I knew, she was falling from the roof. The details were fuzzy, sometimes. Other times, they were as clear as day.

I remember Nathan telling me something after I asked him about his outbursts. I once caught him screaming and hitting his fists against the walls. Later on, he told me that helped him. Maybe that would help me, too? I decided to give it a try. I buried my face into my pillow and screamed as loud as I could. As I did this, I punched surface closest to me. In this case, it was the floor. I let out all my anger from everything.

Kate Marsh's death, my parent's expectations, all those photography lessons gone to waste, and this stupid prison.

I beat my fist on the ground until I could hardly feel it. Then, I cleaned off my hand and wrapped it up with a strip of cloth off a pillow case. I heard shuffling from across the hall.

"Tori?"Chloe said.

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay? I heard you making a lot of noise over there."

"Go back to sleep. I'll be fine."

"Call me crazy, but I don't believe you."

"Everything's fine."

"God, I really wish I was over there right now."

"Me too."

"It'd be so easier if I was face to face with you. I could actually comfort you."

"No offense, but I'd rather you not see me as a mess."

"At least you're a hot mess."

I almost laughed at that. Somehow, I wasn't in the laughing mood. In the dim light, I found myself staring at the lines in the concrete bricks. I started at the ceiling and followed to lines down to the floor before venturing back up again. I did this until my heart stopped feeling like it would explode. We'd been silent for a few moments.

"They say people end up in prison because of something that happened to them when they were young. Do you think that's true?"

"Well,"Chloe said,"my dad died when I was thirteen and my best friend abandoned me. Oh yeah, and the girl that replaced her went missing a while back."

"Damn."

"What about you, blondie?"

"Well, my parents were never really around. They still aren't."

"I guess that's enough to make someone lash out."

"When I got my first girlfriend, they wanted to have me baptized."

"Did you ever take them up on that offer?"

"No. I'm not really big on the whole religion thing."

"Same here."

I was sitting against the wall now. "Talking to you always seems to make me feel better. You're a good listener."

"Listening to people is an important part of friendship."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

We stayed up for a while longer. Chloe was a good listener and I was a good talker. She made her own little comments about things that had happened to her. I must have fallen asleep because it was morning suddenly.

"You up, blondie?"

"Yeah. Been up for a couple minutes."

"Sweet. How you doing?"

"I feel disgusting all over. I'd give anything for a hot bath and a homecooked meal. I'd even take a restaurant meal over the shit they feed us."

"Right. I almost forgot. My neighbor's a rich girl."

"You know it. Hey, Chloe?"

"What's up?"

"How do we legally get out of here early?"

"Well, we can be on our very best behavior."

"Is that it?"

"If we act really well, they'll put us with the other prisoners. Then, we have to show that we aren't like them and that we've learned our lesson. I'm thinking we could help some of the other prisoners. Guard like that."

I thought for a moment. "That could work."

"It _will_ work."

"Alright. Best behavior. That should be easy."

"Just don't cause them any trouble."

"Got it."

The days here were much longer than when I was free. Maybe all this was karma? God knows I deserve it. I was trying to determine whether or not I should be forgiven when I heard a voice from the other side.

"I know we haven't known each other for too long, but I feel like I can trust you,"Chloe said.

"You can tell me anything. I won't tell anyone."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Chloe then began telling me a bunch of awful things she and Max had been through. It was a peaceful week in October for me. Then, of course, everything went down with Kate on that bleary Tuesday. Apparently, Max had made it up there to Kate using some time powers the universe gave her. At first, I didn't believe it. Then, everything began to make sense. She once mentioned something about me being nice to her. I had never been nice to her in my life. I'd been nothing but awful. We were enemies. She took a picture of me when I was covered in paint! Looking back, I probably deserved it. I really wished she had posted it everywhere, but it was a stupid polaroid. You can't exactly post those without scanning them and uploading them to a computer.

"Tori? Do you think I'm crazy?"

"No. It all makes sense."

"What do you mean?"

"There's no way she could have slipped past me on the way to the dorms. Believe me, I know."

"So you believe me?"

"Yeah. It kinda freaks me out, though. If she can reverse time, how many things has she done that only she knows about?"

"There's no telling. She told me she's seen a ton of people die. She was crying. I don't think she wants this crazy power."

"If she ever did something wrong or made someone upset, she could just erase it from existence. Just like that." I snapped my fingers for emphasis.

"Oh God. What if she did something that got someone hurt? She'd live with that memory forever while everyone has no idea."

"That must suck."

"Poor Max."

"I'm really starting to regret all those things I did. First, the whole Kate deal. Then, Jefferson and his shit. Finally, I find out Max was behind it all."

"She stopped a goddamn tornado."

"What the fuck?"

"Yeah. I was as surprised as you. 'Nah, Maxaroni. There's no tornado.' Then, she told me about some alternate reality bullshit? I don't know."

"Wait do all the choices she makes affect other realities?"

"You might be on to something, but all this thinking is making my brain hurt. Let's just chill for a while."

Days were filled with seemingly endless conversations with Chloe. After what seemed like forever, we were back in the fenced courtyard. I had burned the image of her into my mind. When I saw her, her hair was more blonde than blue. She still looked as beautiful as ever. I took a seat on the ground next to her.

"Oh, look,"she said,"A defenseless young woman has fallen into my clutches."

"Nice try. I'm not stupid."

She pounced on me. Suddenly, she was tickling me and I was laughing uncontrollably. I begged her to stop, but she wasn't feeling generous today. She kept on until I was able to push her off me. We rolled around in the grass for a few moments before collapsing back down.

"I really hate you sometimes,"I said.

"Liar."

"Damn. You caught me. What a surprise."

Chloe laughed before rolling onto her side. I was laying on my back, looking up at the sky. It was overcast today. In other words, no sun for you, Vic. I felt her fingertips brush against my cheek. I brought my hand up to hers. I wasn't looking, but I felt her fingers fitting into the spaces between mine. Her other arm was loosely flung over my stomach.

"I think I could dig this whole 'girlfriend' thing."

"You sure?"I asked, turning my head.

"Yeah. I mean, I'd be stupid not to date you. You're gorgeous. Not to mention smart enough to get into Blackwell."

"Oh, shut up. A girl is dead because of me."

"We don't need to talk about that. Besides, even the most perfect paintings have their mistakes."

"If they have flaws, they really shouldn't be called perfect."

"Maybe if the painting would accept that she's hella hot, people would stop calling her perfect."

"I'm not accepting it because it's not true."

"Ugh. Arguing with you is so hard. You're too cute."

"I have the same problem with you. I can't stay mad at you."

"Good. I don't like people being mad at me,"Chloe said with a grin.

I moved a little closer to her. She rolled onto her back, pulling me with her. Suddenly, I was laying on top of her. I rested my head against her chest. Love was an emotion that was seldom showed to me as a child. As I grew older, I sought out love in any way I could find it. That often leaved me feeling used and broken. To combat that, I'd use whatever drug Nathan could find me. Feeling truly loved was unfamiliar. It made me feel higher than any drug could, and I was quickly becoming an addict.

"We should get in a little exercise. We only get to go outside once every month."

Chloe nodded, but neither of us moved. I was almost asleep when she was moving to stand up. She moved me off of her before getting up. After stretching, she leaned down and picked me up.

"Come on, blondie. Let's get you some exercise."

"You're almost as blonde as I am."

"I'm still calling you that."

"Whatever. You better not drop me."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

Just in case, I tightened my grip around her neck. If I was going down, she was going right with me. In the end, we decided to walk around the edge of the yard.

"How'd you know you were gay?"Chloe asked.

"I'm not, actually. I'm bi."

"Okay, but how'd you figure out?"

"Well, I didn't know until I made out with Taylor at a Vortex club party. She said she didn't really care. That was my first girlfriend. I knew I couldn't be gay because I used to like Nathan's ex. God, he was so hot."

"Woah, now. Calm down, Tori. Don't be ditching me for a guy when we just got together."

"I said _used_ to like him. Nathan started dating him, so he was off limits. He was an idiot, anyways. Besides, I think I like girls just a little bit more."

"As long as you like me, I think we'll be fine."

"I just wish we could see each other more. It's like we're in a long distance relationship but worse."

"How?"

"Because you're right there, but I can't get past the bars. I swear, it's like torture."

She nodded. "Yeah. It sucks. You'll get used to being away from everyone. It'll take a while, but you'll get used to it."

"I don't want to get used to it. I just want to stay by your side for as long as I can."

Chloe stopped walking and turned to me with a serious expression. "We're going to be the best goddamn prisoners they've ever had and we're going to get out of this shit hole. Then, we're going to get a nice little apartment and live there. Got it?"

I nodded. "Good plan."

"Thanks. I've been working on the little details."

"Well, we don't have to worry about money when we get out."

"Oh no. I am not letting you pay for everything."

"Relax, my parents are filthy rich. I don't have anything to do with the money. Why not use it to spoil me new girlfriend?"

"I take it back. Maybe we shouldn't date."

"Oh, come on. Don't be like that."

"I'm kidding, Tori. I love you."

"Love you too."

We spent the rest of our outside time with each other. We didn't seperate for even a minute. When the whistle blew, we reported back to the guards. They slid on our restraints before dragging us back down the hall and pushing us into our cells. It would be a long month before I would see Chloe again. While I was waiting, I'd be, as she put, "the best goddamn prisoner they've ever had." As we acted better, we were slowly given more priviledges. After a couple years, we managed to get out of isolation and into the regular prison. I walked into my new room. A large woman with multiple tattoos sat on the lower bunk. She glanced up at me when I walked through the door.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Oh, uh, hi. I'm Victoria."

She looked me up and down before nodding. "What are you in for?"

"Drugs and involuntary manslaughter. You?"

"I killed a man."

To say the least, I was horrified. I'd be sharing a room with an actual murderer. Technically, I could also be considered a killer, but she actually meant to, I didn't. In court, the excuse "I didn't know she was going to die!" wasn't exactly the best excuse. I staredat her, my mouth hanging open in shock. Suddenly, she burst into laughter.

"I'm just messing with you. I was with the wrong people at the wrong time. Got caught up in some bad stuff."

"Oh."

"I heard you know ol' blue hair."

"You could say that."

"Well, any friend of hers is a friend of mine. She's my neice, you know. You ever met her mother?"

"No, actually. I met Chloe when I was in the isolation wing of the prison."

The woman climbed down and stuck out her hand. "Sarah Price. Joyce is my sister-in-law. They're a great bunch of people."

"Victoria Chase. Hey, I was wondering if you might want to switch cells with Chloe?"

Her face went pale when I said "Chase." She nodded quickly and began packing up her things. Soon enough, Chloe was walking into the cell with her few belongings.

"What was that about?"she asked.

I shrugged. "I think she got freaked out that I was rich."

"Why though?"

"We may not be as powerful as the Prescotts, but we're pretty up there, Chloe."

"Ugh. Don't remind me."

"How many years left on your sentence?"

Chloe sat on the bed and thought for a moment. "Nine years, I think."

"Damn. I'm really getting sick of this place, you know."

"Hey, at least we have each other."

"Yeah."

We ended up sleeping in the same bed that night and every night from then on. It helped me get rid of those awful nightmares. Chloe was more than happy to share a bed. After being alone for so long, anyone would miss being so close to someone.

 **Victoria is very dramatic and hates herself. Chloe is like kinda chilled out most of the time, but her gf brings out the worst in her. Great stuff. Decided to switch things up a little bit. I've written two chapter's from Chloe's point of view, so why not make one from Victoria's? Just to see what's going on around in her head. Yeah, she's not doing so well in the mental health department. I mean, she did watch a girl kill herself. I guess that's a good enough reason to go off the rails and start doing a bunch of drugs. Then again, what do I know?**


End file.
